Review by Judge Carmel A. Agius

When Dr Stefano Filletti's father (Judge Emeritus Joseph A. Filletti) and myself were studying criminal law and criminal procedure at the University of Malta over 50 years ago, we had nothing to go by except for the Criminal Code and the excellent notes of Sir Anthony Mamo. At the time legal publications by academics and practitioners alike were very almost non-existent. Half a century down the road not only Maltese Criminal law has undergone tremendous changes but also several law publications have appeared. Stefano Filletti's book is an exemplary initiative even more so because it's coming from the head of the Department of Criminal law of the University of Malta. The practice of law is a never-ending process of learning because law is not static but dynamic. Indeed, looking at the table of contents of this book I cannot but notice how new crimes, new concepts and new practices have been introduced in our system. The concept of conspiracy, the offence of fraud, financial crimes including money-laundering are cases in point. Investigating crimes has also changed as has the use of surveillance by the police and other investigative authorities. Cooperation with international bodies like Interpol and Europol have become common everyday practice especially with the appearance of local and transnational organised crime which has in more ways than one revolutionised the way investigations into certain crimes are conducted. Police powers and the rights of persons arrested have also undergone changes that one could only dream about 20 years ago. Thankfully Dr Filletti's book deals with all of this in a very clear and thorough manner. The various chapters are also rich in updated case-law. In Malta we do not have an annotated criminal code, so this is a great bonus.

Overall, this is a fantastic contribution to the study of criminal law. It's an indispensable tool for students and practitioners alike and what's very important, as I understand it, the author plans to have the book revised on a regular basis and more topics added. One couldn't ask for more.

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